The Information, Communication, and the Digital Economy Ministry, in collaboration with the Slovakian Ministry of Interior and National Administration, has announced a 10-week cyber game, Kenya Cyber Game 2025, aimed at identifying and promoting cybersecurity talent in the country.
The game, which is the first of its kind in the country, was launched on Tuesday, April 1, by the ICT Principal Secretary, John Tanui, and the Slovakian Ambassador, Katarina Zuffa Leligdonova.
According to Tanui, the game, themed 'Unlocking Your Cybersecurity Potential', will run until June 9, 2025, and will mainly involve tertiary institution learners and other industry professionals.
"This competition aims to engage university students, tertiary institution learners, and industry professionals, providing a platform to test and enhance their skills," he said.
Interested individuals can register on the player interface, with only Kenyan citizens eligible for prizes. However, the ministry has stated that non-Kenyan citizens may participate as non-competing players.
According to the ministry, the game is free to enter, and a new cybersecurity challenge will be introduced every week, covering various categories, including malware analysis, digital forensics, cryptography, open-source intelligence, offensive security, and security governance and processes.
Prizes will be awarded in different categories, including students, the junior category, and public and private sector participants. Rewards will include tech gadgets, cybersecurity training vouchers, software licences, and gift vouchers for tech stores.
Additionally, the top-performing participants in the game, who will meet the age criteria, will be considered for the National Cyber Security team that will represent Kenya in regional and international cybersecurity competitions.
"Tanui noted that the Kenya Cyber Game 2025 challenge, themed 'Unlocking Your Cybersecurity Potential,' is a national cybersecurity competition designed to identify, nurture, and promote cybersecurity talent in the country," the ministry stated.
The announcement comes weeks after the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK), in a report for the second quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year, said that there was a 27.2 per cent increase in cyber threats in the country.
According to the CAK report, a total of 840 million cyber threats were detected in the country's technology ecosystem between October and December 2024.
The CAK highlighted that system vulnerabilities were the most prevalent, with 752.4 million threats recorded during this period.
